Dress form



D. P. WIESNER Nov. 3, 1953 DRESS FORM Filed NOV. 24, 1950 INVENTORI DORIS P. W|ESNER HER ATTY'S Patented Nov. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE mmss FORM Doris P. Wiesner, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada ApplicationNovember 24, 1950, Serial No. 197,236

1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in dress forms, an object of my invention being to provide a device of the character herewithin described wherein the form is compressible so that dresses or suits being modeled thereon can be removed and replaced at will. A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described, the body portion of which is resilient and capable of yielding yet, which springs back to the normal position when pressure is removed and provides a relatively rigid foundation upon which work may be modeled or pinned.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described the use of which permits dresses or suits to be fitted after the initial sewing has been performed.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which includes a plurality of detachable sizing jackets, the use of which permits a basic form to be varied in overall dimensions. By this is meant that a form of minimum dimensions may be used and the dimensions of this form may be increased step by step so that same can be used for the modeling and designing of dresses or suits of larger sizes than the original form.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is economical in manufacture, simple in construction, and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects and, advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of my invention upon an adjustable supporting stand.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the top portion of my dress form with one of the detachable arms secured thereto.

Figure 3 is a perspective reduced view of one of the sizing jackets used in conjunction with the dress form.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

Conventional dress forms are normally manufactured from substantially rigid material and are designed so that at no point upon the surface of the form can they be compressed to any extent. This means that they can only be utilized for the initial fitting of a dress or suit and once the seams of the dress or suit are sewn then they cannot be replaced upon the form due to the conventional narrowness of the waist of the garments and the comparative breadth of the shoulders and bust regions.

It is well known in the profession of dressmaking that the most important part of the fitting of the garment can only be undertaken when the dress or suit is in the nearly completed form, therefore, the person for whom the garment is being .made must attend numerous fittings in order to obtain a well fitting garment. The only exception to this practice occurs with a dress that can be opened all the way down but these are in the minority with present day styles.

Consequently, I have provided a resilient dress form which permits the shoulders and bust regions thereof to be compressed inwardly towards the vertical centre line so that the garment may be removed and replaced at will even though the seams have been sewn irrespective of the relative dimensions of the waist, hips and bust.

Furthermore, with the conventional rigid dress forms only one size of garment can be made upon the model purchased although there have been attempts at providinga dress form, the dimensions of which can be altered mechanically. However, this type of dress form is relatively expensive and still suffers from the disadvantages of the conventional rigid forms. Therefore, I have provided a series of sizing jackets to be used in conjunction with my dress form which will increase the dimensions thereof step by step as required.

With the present day relatively tight fitting sleeves provided in dresses, it is almost impossible to produce a sleeve that is satisfactory without actually fitting same upon the subsequent wearer of the dress. Comequently, I have provided a detachable arm also made of resilient material and which is provided with a substantially hollow interior so that same may be padded if required to suit the exact configuration of the arm of the wearer, the resiliency and compressibility of the arm form also permitting the sleeve to be taken on or off during fittings.

Proceeding now to describe my invention in detail it will be seen upon reference tothe accompanying drawings that I have provided a body portion collectively designated I having an external configuration substantially similar to the human figure for which it is desirable to produce a dress or suit. In accordance with customary dress form practice, the body portion is substantially truncated and provides a form extending substantially from the neck to the lower hip regions.

This body portion may be manufactured from any resilient compressible material but it has been found most satisfactory to form the body portion from sponge rubber 2 as this material has the necessary springiness to provide a relatively firm outer surface yet which can be compressed substantially for the reasons hereinafter to be described.

A vertically disposed, centrally located longitudinal aperture 3 is provided through the body portion substantially along the line of the vertical axis thereof, through which is inserted a supporting tube 4 having an annular flange 5 secured adjacent the lower end thereof. Top and bottom plates 6 and 1 respectively are provided which are substantially circular in configuration and which have diameters corresponding substantially to the upper neck portion 8 and the lower hip portion 9 of the body respectively. A protruding handle it surmounts the form when assembled and which screws into a plug ll provided at the outer end of the aforementioned supporting tube 4 thus holding the body portion firmly in position against the flange 5 as clearly illustrated in Figure 1.

The lower end ll of the supporting tube is slidably engageable within a further tube 13 which comprises part of a ground engaging stand l4. A conventional clamp screw 15 is secured near the upper end of the tube l3, penetrating the wall thereof so that the effective height of the supporting tube i2 together with the body portion I may be controlled.

A plurality of bores or vertical apertures 15 are formed within the sponge rubber 2 of the body portion extendin from the neck region 8 to the lower hip region 9 thereof to assist in the compressing of the body portion by providing for the easy expulsion of air from the sponge rubber during this operation. To further assist this expulsion, the aforementioned bottom plate 1 is apertured as at I], said apertures being substantially in alignment with the lower ends of the aforementioned bores 16 and communicating with the external atmosphere.

In operation, the device is assembled as illustrated in Figure 1 and the initial fitting of the garment (not illustrated) is commenced in the conventional manner. To facilitate the temporary attachment of the various pieces of the garment to the surface of the form, it is desirable that a cotton or fabric covering l8 covers the entire outer surface of the form to which may be secured pins in the conventional manner.

When the portions of the garment have been seamed then same may be replaced upon the dress form, the narrower hip and waist portions of the garment being passed over the shoulder regions is of the form and the bust region 20 thereof by compressing these regions inwardly towards the supporting tube l2. As soon as the waist and hip portions of the garment have been passed over the shoulder and bust regions, the resiliency of the sponge rubber immediately causes the dress form to return to its original configuration and fitting may he proceeded with.

Removal of the garment is occasioned in the same manner by compressing the portions of the form necessary in order to pass the waist and hip portions of the garment thereover without any strain occurring thereto.

The dimensions of the form hereinbefore described may be increased by the application of one or more of the sizing jackets illustrated in perspective in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawings, these jackets being manufactured from sponge rubber in the form of a vest and having closure means 2| extending from the under-arm area 22 to the lower hip perimeter 23. These sizing jackets, collectively designated 24, may be placed upon the dress form as required thus increasing the overall dimensions by arbitrary amounts and it is also desirable that the exterior surfaces of these jackets be covered by a cloth or fabric layer 25 so that pinning can be obtained.

It will also be appreciated that if any individual measurements vary from the standard provided by these dress forms, then local padding can be introduced between the dress form and the sizing jacket to correct these normally small irregularities.

In order that the sleeves of the garment may be fitted accurately, I have provided detachable arms 26 preferably formed from sponge rubber or the like and which are provided with a plurality of attaching pads 21 around the shoulder perimeter 28 thereof so that the arms may be temporarily secured to the dress form by means of pins 29 or similar means.

It is also desirable that arms 26 be hollow so that local padding may be introduced therein to give the exact configuration desired.

In conclusion, I desire to stress the ease with which the dress form may be compressed towards the vertical axis thereof, the escape of air from the cells of the sponge rubber being facilitated by the aforementioned vertical bores I6 which are in registration with apertures 11 within the bottom plate 1.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claim without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

A form for the designing, fitting and alteration of dresses, suits and the like, including a body portion, the configuration of said body portion being substantially similar to the configuration of the human body, said body portion being formed from sponge rubber, vertical apertures extending clear through said body portion to facilitate the expulsion of air when same is compressed, a supporting tube extending vertically through said body portion, plates situated at the top and bottom of said body portion, and secured to the ends of said tube, apertures in at least one of said plates, said apertures aligning with said vertical apertures in said body portion, and a supporting stand slidably engageable by said supporting tube.

DORIS P. WIESNER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,447,372 Bailey Mar. 6, 1923 2,056,740 Rosenfeld Oct. 6, 1936 2,158,895 Brown May 16, 1939 2,510,333 Davis June 6, 1950 2,533,906 Akers Dec. 12, 1950 

